Ellen Weaver

Ellen Weaver was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Weaver earned a bachelor's degree from Bob Jones University in 2001.[1] Her career experience includes working as the president and CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute and a state director with the United States Senate. Weaver has served on the board of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.[2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in South Carolina and there is no place I’d rather call home. Growing up, my family was far from wealthy. I’ll always be grateful for the sacrifices my parents made to ensure I had the educational and spiritual foundation I needed to succeed in life.

I was blessed with opportunities to attend a variety of schools, including homeschooling for several years. Learning from home provided me the incredible opportunity to work in the afternoons with Dad in his small residential construction business.

I also witnessed the power of a great teacher on a student’s life. I graduated from my local public school and was shaped there by the leadership of an incredible principal and some terrific teachers.

After graduating from Bob Jones University in Greenville, I went to work for U.S. Senator Jim DeMint. During the next 12 years, I learned by example the value of standing strong for common-sense principles and conservative values.

In 2013, alongside Senator DeMint, we launched Palmetto Promise Institute, where I worked every day to improve the lives of South Carolinians by fighting for smaller government, less regulation, and conservative policies. I served on South Carolina’s Education Oversight Commission.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must focus on foundational skills. Too many students are behind in basic math and reading skills. This is an urgent situation. We must prioritize these foundational skills which children need to be successful in other vitally important subject areas like history, the sciences, and the arts. This means a strong focus on phonics and knowledge-building—the proven science of reading—especially in the early grades.We've got to restore classroom discipline. Unfortunately, Washington bureaucrats have far too much say in our discipline practices, which means that our teachers aren’t allowed to maintain control over their own classrooms. South Carolina must intentionally cultivate, coach, and empower teachers to be the CEOs of their classrooms and principals to be CEO’s of their schools. We must also give teachers a safe, anonymous way to speak out about issues in their classrooms: teachers must be heard.It's time to expand education choices. Whether it’s traditional public, public charter or magnet, private, home school, or any of the growing array of high-quality hybrid options, we must ensure that parents of every income level can choose the right environment to support the safety, well-being, values, and unique educational needs of their child.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

South Carolina’s education crisis is urgent. COVID has exposed fault lines that have been growing for decades. But this could be South Carolina’s greatest moment of education opportunity if we come together to focus on results for students, to empower parents, and to support great teachers.

My plan for educational excellence in South Carolina is built on three important principles:

Flexibility

Equip students to pursue their unique needs and personal goals, empower parents to exercise their God-given rights, cut red tape to allow educators to do their jobs effectively, and keep decision-making authority as close to the student as possible.

Responsibility

Deliver a high-quality education for every child. Maintain a laser focus on academic outcomes that are measured in a fair and transparent way, as well as total financial transparency so that taxpayers know their money is actually being spent.

Fairness

Provide equal access to education opportunities for every student, no matter their family’s income level or zip code. This also means a strong focus on students with special needs and special gifts, to help them realize their unique potential.